- 1). Turn the fuel valve off if the lawn mower is equipped with this feature. This will prevent fuel from leaking out of the carburetor when the mower is tipped over. Remove the oil cap from the fill hole, and dump the used oil out of the engine into a plastic oil storage container by tipping the whole mower to one side. Wipe the oil drippage off the mower with a cloth rag. Fill the oil reservoir with fresh oil in the recommended weight (usually 10W30) and quantity for the mower model.
- 2). Disconnect the spark plug wire. Remove the mower blade, and check its condition. If it is bent or damaged, replace it. If it is dull, sharpen it with a metal hand file or a bench grinder. Reattach the mower blade to the mower tightly.
- 3). Open the air filter cover, and remove and discard the old air filter. Some air filter assemblies include a foam pre-filter. You should replace this as well. A new foam and paper air filter are usually included in a set when purchased new. Spray the foam pre-filter with any kind of spray lubricant. Place the paper filter into the housing, followed by the foam pre-filter and close the air filter cover.
- 4). Loosen the spark plug with a spark plug removal tool, and remove it from the spark plug hole. Place a new spark plug into the spark plug hole, and tighten it with a spark plug removal tool. Reconnect the spark plug wire.
- 5). Add the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer to a fuel storage tank. Fuel stabilizer will keep fuel fresh for up to one year. Fill the fuel tank with fresh, stabilized fuel, and start the engine. Let the engine run for five minutes to distribute the stabilized fuel through the whole system. Shut the engine off. Place the mower into storage for the off-season.
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